GRAND FORKS, N.D.- The University of North Dakota Athletics Department is proud to announce that Erin Haugen, PHD, LP, CMPC was awarded the Jack Weakly Award of Distinction from the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) last week.

The Jack Weakley Award of Distinction honors one individual each year for a lifetime of outstanding contributions that directly impact health care in the area of athletics, athletic training, or sports medicine and are of major and lasting importance. This award provides a stimulus for continued service, research, and education in the field of athletic health care. It fosters joint recognition among members of the NATA and other disciplines and serves as a reminder of the important role these groups play in the future of athletic care. This is the third time this award has been given to someone that is not an MD. 
 
Haugen started working with the UND athletics department in October of 2019, when Athletics Director Bill Chaves asked Steve Westereng, head of sports medicine and athletic training for the department, to oversee strength and conditioning, mental health, and sports nutrition under the auspices of Sports Medicine as many schools had moved or were moving to this model. Westereng met with both Dr. Erin Haugen of Assessment Therapy and Associates of Grand Forks and the University Counseling Center to try to optimize care for the athletes, b because of the subspecialties within mental health, the two entities melded nicely to start working together. Erin Dr. Haugen not only brings mental health but also sports performance expertise.  
 
Westereng said, that "During the pandemic (2020) there was a suicide on campus (non-student athlete). Bill and I happened to be in a meeting with Jody Hodgson of Ralph Engelstad Arena and he identified that there are probably many people dealing with mental health issues, and he wondered if there was anything that could be done, possibly through the REA Foundation. Through the REA Foundation, we were able to obtain a grant and get Dr. Haugen to come to campus one day a week. This allowed us direct access to a mental health care provider. She has since set up a network of providers to care for the athletes, which has been HUGE as mental health issues have increased over the last few years."
 
"Dr. Haugen has been an integral part of our student-athlete experience here at North Dakota," continued Westereng. "Mental health issues were already on the rise prior to the pandemic and higher institutions were at-or-beyond capacity across the nation. When Dr. Haugen first offered a mental health training session to our student-athletes, we had a country-high 37 people take part. Without Dr. Haugen, I am not sure how we would have handled some of the issues we faced. Her knowledge of mental health and human performance allows us to address the specific need of the student-athletes at UND."
 
 
Some of Haugen's accomplishments: 
·       Works with teams and individual athletes on mental health issues and sport performance at UND as well as other recreational, collegiate, national, and professional athletes.
·       Helps student-athletes deal with well-being following surgery or injury.  
·       Assisted the UND Department of Sports Medicine in developing a Mental Health Emergency Action Plan and mental health screening of student-athletes.
·       Offers Mental Health First Aid training to athletes, coaches, and athletics personnel to better prepare them for mental health issues that arise.
·       Obtained a grant that allows her to teach athletic trainers from across the state to take the mental health first aid training for free. 
·       Presented at ND High School Coaches Association meetings, North Dakota Athletic Trainers Association State meetings, Mid-America Athletic Trainers Association (7 states from N.D. to Oklahoma), the National Athletic Trainers Association Annual Symposium (~8,000-10,000 athletic trainers) for the professional development of those health care professionals in the areas of mental health. She has also done professional development for health care institutions in the area. 
·       Has lectured at UND and other higher education institutions on mental health.
·       Assisted in part of strategic plan to ensure compliance with NCAA Mental Health Best Practices. 
·       Been an advocate for athletic trainers and the interdisciplinary collaboration with student-athletes.